Introduction
Cantar means “to sing”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Cantar is the verb for singing a song, in the shower, in a choir or on a stage. It is followed directly by the song or nothing at all. Cantar en + place means to sing somewhere as part of a group: in a choir, in a band, in a church. It is how singers describe where they perform. This page shows cantar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo canto en la ducha por la mañana.” — I sing in the shower in the morning.
Cantar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how cantar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use cantar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Yo canto en la ducha por la mañana.” — I sing in the shower in the morning.
“¿Tú cantas en el coro de la iglesia?” — Do you sing in the church choir?
“Ella canta en un coro los domingos.” — She sings in a choir on Sundays.
“Nosotros cantamos a los niños antes de dormir.” — We sing to the children before bedtime.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show cantar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ella cantó una canción preciosa anoche.” — She sang a beautiful song last night. (preterite)
“Yo cantaba en el coro cuando era niño.” — I used to sing in the choir when I was a child. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of cantar stays the same.
“Nosotros cantaremos en la fiesta de mañana.” — We will sing at tomorrow's party. (future)
“¿Tú has cantado alguna vez en público?” — Have you ever sung in public? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros cantáis muy bien juntos.” — You sing very well together.
“Ellos cantan canciones de amor.” — They sing love songs.
“Yo canto en español y en inglés.” — I sing in Spanish and in English.
“Mi padre canta mientras cocina.” — My father sings while he cooks.
Cantar in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how cantar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lola: “¿Tú cantas en el coro de la iglesia?” — Do you sing in the church choir?
Mario: “Sí, yo canto en la ducha y en el coro.” — Yes, I sing in the shower and in the choir.
Lola: “Nosotros cantamos a los niños antes de dormir.” — We sing to the children before bedtime.
Mario: “Y ellos cantan canciones de amor.” — And they sing love songs.
Lola: “Vosotros cantáis muy bien juntos.” — You sing very well together.
Mario: “Sí, y mi padre canta mientras cocina.” — Yes, and my father sings while he cooks.
A short paragraph
Lola canta en la ducha por la mañana, y su hermano canta en un coro los domingos. Nosotros cantamos a los niños antes de dormir, y ellos cantan canciones de amor. Mi padre canta mientras cocina, y yo canto en español y en inglés. Cantar fills the house from morning to night, because singing in the shower, singing in a choir and singing to children are all part of the same verb.
Common mistakes with cantar
These are the errors learners actually make with cantar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo canto a una canción.” Right: “Yo canto una canción.” Why: A song is the direct object of cantar, with no preposition: canto una canción. The a is for people: canto a los niños means I sing to the children, which is a different sentence.
Wrong: “Ellos canta canciones de amor.” Right: “Ellos cantan canciones de amor.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form cantan. The singular canta belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Yo canto en el coro ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo canté en el coro.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to canté.
Wrong: “Nosotros cantas a los niños.” Right: “Nosotros cantamos a los niños.” Why: Nosotros needs cantamos. The tú form cantas belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos canto todos los días.” Right: “Ellos cantan todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form cantan, not the yo form canto. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.
Quiz: cantar in use
Ten questions on cantar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ muy bien juntos.” (You sing very well together.)
- (a) cantas
- (b) cantáis
- (c) canto
Answer: cantáis — The vosotros/as form of cantar in the present tense is cantáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ canciones de amor.” (They sing love songs.)
- (a) cantan
- (b) canto
- (c) cantas
Answer: cantan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of cantar in the present tense is cantan.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ella ______ una canción preciosa anoche.” (She sang a beautiful song last night.)
- (a) canté
- (b) cantaste
- (c) cantó
Answer: cantó — In the preterite, the él/ella/Ud. form of cantar is cantó.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Yo ______ en el coro cuando era niño.” (I used to sing in the choir when I was a child.)
- (a) cantaba
- (b) cantaba
- (c) cantabas
Answer: cantaba — In the imperfect, the yo form of cantar is cantaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Nosotros ______ en la fiesta de mañana.” (We will sing at tomorrow's party.)
- (a) cantaremos
- (b) cantaré
- (c) cantarás
Answer: cantaremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of cantar is cantaremos.
6. What does cantar mean in English?
- (a) to finish, to end
- (b) to serve
- (c) to sing
Answer: to sing — Cantar means “to sing”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo canto una canción.
- (b) Yo canto a una canción.
- (c) Ellos canta canciones de amor.
Answer: Yo canto una canción. — “Yo canto una canción.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I sing in Spanish and in English.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo cantan en español y en inglés.
- (b) Yo canto en español y en inglés.
- (c) Mi padre canta mientras cocina.
Answer: Yo canto en español y en inglés. — “Yo canto en español y en inglés.” is the correct translation. The second option means something different, and the third uses the wrong person's form.
9. What is the nosotros form of cantar in the present tense?
- (a) canto
- (b) cantas
- (c) cantamos
Answer: cantamos — The nosotros form is cantamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ella cantó una canción preciosa anoche.
- (b) Nosotros cantaremos en la fiesta de mañana.
- (c) Yo canto en la ducha por la mañana.
Answer: Yo canto en la ducha por la mañana. — “Yo canto en la ducha por la mañana.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I sing in the shower' in Spanish?
Say 'Canto en la ducha'. The phrase is very common in Spanish, and it uses en for the place. In the morning: 'Canto en la ducha por la mañana'.
What is the difference between cantar and tocar?
Cantar means to sing with your voice, while tocar means to play an instrument: 'Toco la guitarra' (I play the guitar). A singer canta, a guitarist toca, and a singer-guitarist does both.
Can cantar be used without an object?
Yes. 'Yo canto' on its own means 'I sing', and it is a complete sentence. You only add an object when you want to say what you sing: 'Canto una canción'.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of cantar — every tense of cantar in one place.
- Cantar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on cantar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of cantar until they are automatic.